Manoj Kumar Elected as Mangaluru Mayor

Manoj Kumar of the Derebail Ward has been elected as the new Mayor of Mangaluru City Corporation, with Banumathi from the Bolar Ward becoming the Deputy Mayor. Kumar's election was uncontested due to the mayoral position being reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate. Their leadership will span the next six months.

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has elected Manoj Kumar, representing the Derebail Ward, as the new Mayor, and Banumathi from the Bolar Ward as Deputy Mayor.

The elections took place on Thursday, with Kumar's election as Mayor being uncontested, as the position was reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate. Kumar, affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was the only candidate to file a nomination. The Congress party did not field any candidates for the mayoral position due to a lack of eligible members.

Regional Commissioner Ramesh officially declared Kumar as the Mayor. For the post of Deputy Mayor, three candidates were initially in the race: Congress's Zeenat Shamshuddin, and BJP's Banumathi PS and Vanita Prasad. Despite all nominations being valid, Vanita Prasad withdrew her candidacy later. In the final vote, Banumathi secured 47 votes from BJP members, while Zeenat Shamshuddin received support from 14 Congress members. One Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) member abstained from voting.

Banumathi was elected as Deputy Mayor. The new leadership is expected to guide MCC's administration for the upcoming term with a focus on enhancing civic services and local development. However, the new mayor and deputy mayor will serve only for the next six months until the council's tenure ends in March 2025.

(With inputs from agencies.)